<h1><strong>Behind the Tape: The Writing Process
with @Carolyn_Arnold</strong></h1>
<p><strong><img
src="https://carolynarnold.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Carolyn-Author-Interview-WWB-BehindtheTape-Feature.jpg"
alt="" width="1024" height="536"
/></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Crime fiction author Carolyn Arnold has stopped
by today to talk about her latest crime novel <em>What
We Bury</em>, the tenth instalment in her
Detective Madison Knight series. Aspiring writers will be interested to know
what advice she has for them and readers will also want to know how she works.
</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Carolyn has found success at writing and
publishing and has been at it full-time since 2014. She’s an international bestselling and
award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor.
She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI,
McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and
has written over thirty books. She’s
even getting ready to announce a fifth series starring Detective Amanda Steele.
Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled
mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Carolyn’s intention is to touch the hearts of millions
with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. She currently lives near
London, Ontario, with her husband and beagles, and is a member of Crime Writers
of Canada and Sisters in Crime.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>So, without any further delay, let’s get this interview
started.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Tell us about your writing career.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">I started as a teenager as a way of dealing with my emotions,
and from there I wrote novella-length romantic suspense. It had been a dream of
mine to write a full-length novel! I even wrote into Harlequin for their
submission guidelines without my parents’ knowledge. I remember
hunkering down in the furnace room reading their response. However, it wasn’t until I was
thirty that I wrote my first full-length novel. In fact, I’d been away from writing for thirteen years.
Since 2006, though, my life changed, and writing’s been a part of my daily life since
then.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It so
happened that I worked for a fairly large corporation and my department knew
that a layoff was coming because they were moving it to the Toronto area.
Needless to say, myself and my fellow employees weren’t exactly motivated. One day the receptionist—who I had
become friends with—emailed me toward the
end of the day and said randomly, <em>Tell me a
story</em>. I responded with a few paragraphs
off the top of my head. My co-worker loved it and asked for more. This is how
we spent the rest of the day—going
back and forth. She then told me I had to finish the story. Hmph. Well… I accepted the challenge. It took me a
full year to write that novel, but I did it! </p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Now don’t ask me the year, but probably around 2013,
I cut back my hours at the day job from five days a week to four. Then I went
to three. But see, I promised myself that if I ever got to the point I was going to ask to work two days, I would quit
instead. That made complete sense to me. Why divide my time if I didn’t have to, and if I could afford to cut back
to a couple of days a week, I’d get by
without the money for those days. So that’s what I did. In summer of 2014, I quit my day
job! And I’ll tell
you, as sure as I was about my choice, I was also terrified! But I’m so very happy that I
made that decision! It was the perfect time!</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">Further blessings came when my husband, who is a graphic
designer, was also able to quit his day job in 2016 and join me full-time! He
does a fantastic job with my covers and formatting my book interiors and making
them not only gorgeous but providing a great reading experience. (And this is
only a bit of what he does for me!)</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">But note that none of this just came about. I worked hard. I
wrote before I left for the day job, I wrote on my lunch break, I wrote when I
came home, and I wrote on weekends. Any spare moment I had I wrote. But I was
driven and motivated by passion. Writing and editing was never a burden, but
rather an honor. I love entertaining and inspiring people! In fact, an insider bit… I have two beagles and when I’m getting ready to go to my office, I say to
them, <em>Let’s
go entertain and inspire</em>. Often they’re a few steps
ahead! My oldest beagle will often start toward my office when I’m stirring my coffee. 😊</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How
long does it take to write the first draft of a book? </strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">My first book, as I said, took a full year. My second six
months, then three months. Now I can write a first draft in three-four weeks.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>What does your writing schedule look like?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Wow, there’s a good question.
It’s packed. LOL
But it’s the
editing stages that occupy most of the time. I find it hard to be editing one
book and writing another. Maybe some day I’ll get that down.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Please describe your work ethic as an author.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">I have always viewed writing as something important. Even
before I made a dime with my writing, it was never a hobby. When I decided to
publish, I approached the industry with the respect and professionalism it
deserves, and I have emulated the traditionally published market to the best of
my ability. There have been some little bumps along the way, and I’m constantly learning—but that’s
life!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You’ve probably heard
write drunk, edit sober. Not this girl! I’m ALWAYS completely sober all stages of the
writing process—even final read throughs!
Just think, would you show up to your day job with a flask? And if you did, how
would you be received?</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>How do you balance your work as an author with
the other aspects of your life?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">I have goals and deadlines but try to go with the flow of
life. If I’m
stressed or get feeling overwhelmed, I make myself step back and take just a few
minutes out to reboot and refresh. If my schedule allows, I’ll move projects around. If my schedule is
tight, I’ve been
known to wake up at four in the morning and work until five at night. If I find
that I’m very
stressed by my workload, I look forward and see how I could improve my schedule
in the future. Could I allow myself more time between projects and more time
with a book that comes back from the editor…that type of thing. I’ve learned that handling two rewrites back to
back are too much for me! Once in a period of seven weeks, I reworked two
novels and added seventy thousand new words between them! Needless
to say, I was feeling a little burnt for a few days after that. But I
learned that in the future, I won’t
book rewrites one after the other.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Is there a special program you use to write, or
do you write in Word?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I write the
first draft in Scrivener and rewrite and edit in Word.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>What is your writing process? Do you outline
diligently or write more in the flow, organically?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I wish I
could outline meticulously like some of my fellow authors, but I’m an organic writer.
The most of an outline I can hope for is a bullet-point synopsis, but even
then, my characters are usually far too impatient to wait for me to lay much of
anything out in advance. I love writing in the flow, though, because I really
find that’s where
the magic happens! For example, I know Madison needs to question someone. I
might not have a clue what they’re
going to tell me, but after I write the scene Madison often walks away with
amazing revelations and leads in the case.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Do you ever find yourself afraid of your
manuscript? If so, how do you overcome that?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">Every time. I don’t
really know why. I’ve
written over thirty novels, and I’ve just
come to accept that fear and doubt are part of the process. But, yes, I
normally think <em>do I have another book in
me</em> and <em>do
I have enough to say to write a full-length novel? </em>The
secret is I start writing anyway. Then the characters and the plot take over
and it comes together. And I wish I could say the fear and doubt disappears for
the remainder of writing the first draft, but it swells up again.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Usually by
the midway point, I start doubting myself, wondering if it’s boring or moving at a good pace. By the time
I reach two-thirds, I think I have so much to say the book will be forever
long. (Shakes head. Lots of ups and downs.) But the most important thing is to
just keep writing. You have time to beautify the manuscript during the editing process—of which there
are several stages.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>You write several series, but what inspired you
to write Detective Madison Knight?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">Detective Madison Knight needed to be heard, and the world
was in need of more tough, female protagonists. That’s where it all started. Well, that and the fact
that I loved watching crime dramas and reading the same, so it was a natural
transition from romantic suspense.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Is Madison based on anyone in real life and
what about other characters in the book like her partner Terry?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Madison
Knight is a lot like me—just
more outspoken. She’ll
say the things I’ll often think but hold
back. She’s tough
on the outside but has a vulnerability to her. That’s how my husband described me when we first got
together.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As for
Terry, he’s a bit
like my husband. The banter between him and Madison is definitely how
conversations could go between us.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Where did the name Stiles come from?
</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Stiles is a
fictional city that’s
named after my husband’s maternal
grandmother.</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Why did you decide to go with a fictional city
and is it based on a real city? What are the advantages for an author?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">Stiles is sort of based on a blend of Toronto and London,
Ontario. But with a fictional city, there’s a lot more freedom! I adhere to basic US
police procedures and forensics, but what goes on within the city is my
decision. Of course, I base it on logic. But, say, for instance I want a body
shop that’s open
twenty-four seven, I can have that! (Which I do in <em>What
We Bury.</em>)</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>If you had any advice for new authors what
would it be?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Often you’ll hear write X per
day. I say write for a set amount of time and schedule it as an appointment
with yourself that you won’t
miss. Focusing on the number brings a lot more pressure. You don’t want to be
constantly thinking, <em>oh, did I hit the
number yet? </em>Writing is a magical—and spiritual—process and is so much better when you
just allow yourself to sink into it. I’d also say focus on the outcome. Visualize how
exciting it would be to announce on social media that you wrote that day, maybe
how many words, and this will only encourage other writers too! 😊</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Please tell us about <em>What
We Bury </em>and where can we buy the book?</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The body of
a forty-something woman is found stabbed in a shed—no
ID, no personal belongings, no sign of the murder weapon, but there are the
letters GB written in blood. AND the actual scene of the crime is unknown
because it quickly becomes evident the woman didn’t get attacked where she was found. So Madison
needs to find her identity, the initial crime scene, unravel the mystery of
“GB,” and find means, motive, and opportunity. But while she’s doing all that, she’s also determined to ferret out corrupt cops
in the Stiles Police Department and bring the Mafia down. (Wish her luck! She’ll need
it!)</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;">Enjoy this little teaser from Chapter 1:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“She’s
dead.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">Those two words brought Madison
Knight to 982 Hillcrest Drive in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in March. It
was a quiet neighborhood in the south end of Stiles, a city of about three
hundred sixty thousand, and it had been her real estate agent, Estelle Robins, who’d called. When
Madison saw the name on caller ID, she’d assumed Estelle had found the perfect place
for Madison and her boyfriend, Troy Matthews. Boy, had she been mistaken.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">Madison parked in the driveway,
admiring the raised bungalow with its grayish-brown brick and beige siding. It couldn’t be older than
fifteen years. The front door was under a small overhang, and that’s where Estelle was
standing, her arms wrapped around herself as if she were cold, but the
temperature today was unusually warm. Some of the more northern states would
envy their spring-like weather in early March.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">Madison got out of the car and
approached Estelle. She was normally the picture of calm and put-togetherness,
but her hair was frizzed around her heart-shaped face, and her eyes were wet
and wide. Her brown eyeshadow was smudged beneath her right eye, but her
mascara had stayed in place.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“Omigod,
Madison. I didn’t
know who else to call, but you’ll know what
to do.”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“You
did the right thing.” Madison was a Major
Crimes detective with the Stiles Police Department. Troy could have tagged
along, as he was also a detective for the department, but his primary role was
leader of a SWAT team. Solving murders was her thing. “Where is she?”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“In
the shed. I’ll
take you there.” Estelle led the way to a
side gate next to the garage. Her hand was shaking as she worked the latch.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">Madison followed Estelle down a
concrete sidewalk toward the backyard. “How did you find her?”</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“There’s
supposed to be an open house.” Estelle
spoke over her shoulder. “I was making sure
the property looked good.” Estelle stopped
and hoisted a chain-link gate at the end of the walk that was hinged on the
fence and wedged against the brick of the garage.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">To the right was a deck, and ahead
was a manageable yard. The rear of the lot was framed by mature cedars and a
chain-link fence. There was another gate back there, and it appeared open.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align: justify;">Estelle pointed to a shed with a
concrete foundation and beige siding. It was about twelve feet wide and twenty
feet long.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px; text-align:
justify;">“She’s
in there.” Estelle shivered. “I can’t
believe this is happening.”</p>
<p style="text-align:
justify;"><strong>Where can readers get a copy of <em>What We Bury?</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><em>What We Bury </em>is
available from popular retailers in ebook, paperback,
hardcover, and large print edition.</p>
<p><strong>e-book</strong><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/3hG03ND">Amazon.com</a> | <a
href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/what-we-bury/id1524658958?mt=11&app=itunes">Apple</a> | <a
href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8292002/type/dlg/https:/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-bury-carolyn-arnold/1137382050?ean=2940164432300">Barnes
& Noble</a> | <a
href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/what-we-bury-1">Kobo</a> | <a
href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=u5TyDwAAQBAJ">Google
Play</a> | <a
href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1034271?ref=HibbertAndStilesPublishing">Smashwords</a> | <a
href="http://getbook.at/what-we-bury">Amazon
Universal</a></p>
<p><strong>Paperback –
4.25 x 7 inches</strong><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/2Zhk2M3">Amazon</a> | <a
href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8292002/type/dlg/https:/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-bury-carolyn-arnold/1137382050?ean=9781989706411">Barnes
& Noble</a> | <a
href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-We-Bury/Carolyn-Arnold/9781989706411?id=6751799439702">Books-a-Million</a> | <a
href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781989706411">Indie
Bound</a> | <a
href="https://tidd.ly/2GKF92Z">Book
Depository</a></p>
<p><strong>Paperback –
5 x 8 inches</strong><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/2GBNLIR">Amazon</a> | <a
href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8292002/type/dlg/https:/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-bury-carolyn-arnold/1137382050?ean=9781989706428">Barnes
& Noble</a> | <a
href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-We-Bury/Carolyn-Arnold/9781989706428?id=6751799439702">Books-a-Million</a> | <a
href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781989706428">Indie
Bound</a> | <a
href="https://affiliates.abebooks.com/7jxjA">AbeBooks</a> | <a
href="https://tidd.ly/3bCgnx8">Book
Depository</a></p>
<p><strong>Hardcover –
6.13 x 9.21 inches</strong><br /> <a href="https://amzn.to/2Fkht4p">Amazon</a> | <a
href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8292002/type/dlg/https:/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-bury-carolyn-arnold/1137382050?ean=9781989706435">Barnes
& Noble</a> | <a
href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-We-Bury/Carolyn-Arnold/9781989706435?id=6751799439702">Books-a-Million</a> | <a
href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781989706435">Indie
Bound</a> | <a
href="https://tidd.ly/3bBSCoS">Book
Depository</a></p>
<p><strong>Paperback Large Print Edition – 6 x 9 inches</strong><br
/> <a href="https://amzn.to/2F9Y1b3">Amazon</a> | <a
href="https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/8292002/type/dlg/https:/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-we-bury-carolyn-arnold/1137382050?ean=9781989706459">Barnes
& Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-We-Bury/Carolyn-Arnold/9781989706459?id=6751799439702">Books-a-Million</a> | <a
href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781989706459">Indie
Bound</a> | <a
href="https://affiliates.abebooks.com/qbN7j">AbeBooks</a> | <a
href="https://tidd.ly/334a8hO">Book
Depository</a> </p>
<hr />
<p>All excerpts in this post are from <em>What We Bury</em> and
protected by copyright.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"> </p>